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Sunday, October 5, 2014

Castle, by David Macaulay

What can I say about “Castle”? It’s kind of like a picture book about
architecture, with an awesome story set in medieval Europe. This is one of those books where I won’t be
able to describe it no matter how hard I try, so you’ll just have to go out and
read it for yourself. “Castle” tells the
story of a typical medieval fortress, from its planning stages through the
actual construction. The story even includes
a fierce battle that tests the building’s defenses! It’s an awesome look inside a huge construction
project that spanned several decades.

One awesome thing about this book is that the author
actually takes you inside each piece of the castle’s architecture with his
blueprint-style illustrations. The
narrative is excellent as well, because the story explains why each step of the
building process was so important. When
you read this book, you not only learn about all the steps in building a castle
was built, but also why this type of building was so important to life in the
dark ages.

Macaulay’s book is a great choice for visual learners, those
people who understand an idea better once they’ve had a chance to “see” it up
close and in detail. I’d guess that the
book is probably geared towards 10- or 12-year old boys since it includes a lot
of really technical details, but it’s so easy to read that younger boys might
appreciate it as well. Whatever your
age, don’t miss out on reading this classic!